1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an inkjet recording apparatus and an inkjet recording method for performing recording with a recording head that discharges ink.
2. Description of the Related Art
An inkjet recording apparatus is an advantageous recording type which is capable of providing a high-density and high-speed recording operation, with low operating cost and low noise. Hence, such inkjet recording apparatuses are commercialized as output apparatuses in various forms.
A coloring agent applied to ink for inkjet recording is a water-soluble dye in view of an image quality such as saturation and color reproducibility of a colorant, a variety of colorants to be used, solubility to water, and ejection reliability like nozzle clogging. However, specifications, such as light resistance and water resistance, of a dye may be insufficient, and a recorded object recorded with dye ink may have insufficient light resistance and water resistance. A pigment has the light resistance and water resistance which are superior to those of the dye. In recent years, the pigment has been used as a coloring agent applied to ink for inkjet recording so as to increase the light resistance and water resistance. Regarding a recorded object recorded with pigment ink, the pigment ink remains on a surface of a recording medium unlike the dye ink which permeates into the recording medium. It is difficult to have scratch resistance which represents resistance of an image when the recorded object is scratched with a nail or rubbed with cloth or the like. Owing to this, to increase the scratch resistance of the recorded object recorded with the pigment ink, a technique has been suggested, in which resin is added to ink, thereby achieving the increase in scratch resistance.
For example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-349875 suggests a technique in which an ink composition includes fine polymer (resin) particles having a ligand structure capable of forming a metal ion and a chelate. With the technique, the ink composition adheres to a recording medium, and water and a water-soluble organic solvent near the fine polymer particles permeate into the recording medium. A film, in which the fine resin particles are subjected to coalescence and fusion and which includes a coloring material, is formed on the recording medium. Thus, an obtained image has high scratch resistance and high water resistance.
Adding resin into ink can increase the strength of an image layer of the ink. It is markedly effective to increase fastness, such as water resistance and scratch resistance.
However, when an image is recorded with the ink with resin added, it has been found that an irregular gap, and a dot with an increased ink density appear on a recording medium, resulting in density unevenness appearing in a recorded image.
The present invention decreases the density unevenness which is generated when the ink with resin added is used. Thus, the invention provides a recording apparatus capable of increasing fastness and decreasing image degradation so as to obtain a recorded object with high fastness.
According to an aspect of the invention, an inkjet recording apparatus includes a recording unit configured to cause a recording head to discharge a first ink and a second ink; and a scanning unit configured to cause the recording head to scan a recording medium. An ink-remaining likelihood of the second ink on the first ink is higher than an ink-remaining likelihood of the first ink on the second ink. The recording unit performs recording with the first ink and the second ink in that order in at least one of a plurality of pixels to be recorded with the first ink and the second ink.
According to another aspect of the invention, an inkjet recording method includes recording an image on a recording medium by discharging a first ink and a second ink by a recording head. An ink-remaining likelihood of the second ink on the first ink is larger than an ink-remaining likelihood of the first ink on the second ink. Recording is performed with the first ink and the second ink in that order in at least one of a plurality of pixels to be recorded with the first ink and the second ink.
With the aspects, when an image is recorded with at least two types of inks having different characteristics, the application order of the inks in the same pixel region of a recording medium is controlled. Accordingly, image quality such as density unevenness can be increased.
Further features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of exemplary embodiments with reference to the attached drawings.
A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
With the use of the recording head 21, the recording apparatus of this embodiment typically performs recording by repeating a recording operation in which the recording head discharges ink while the carriage scans in the main-scanning direction, and a conveying operation in which a recording medium is conveyed by a predetermined amount in a conveying direction. Further, an image is recorded on a recording medium by multipath recording. The multipath recording is a recording method in which the recording head scans a unit region on a recording medium by a plurality of scanning operations, and the recording medium is conveyed by an amount corresponding to the unit region during the plurality of scanning operations. A plurality of nozzles of the recording head 21 may vary in ink-discharging directions and ink-discharging amounts, the variation occurring in a manufacturing process. Also, a sub-scanning amount performed during the recording scanning may contain an error resulted from the structure. The error and variation may result in image defect, such as stripes or density unevenness, in a recording medium recorded with ink. Since the multipath recording is employed, in which an image is recorded in a region by a plurality of scanning operations although the region could be recorded by a single recording scanning operation, even when the discharging characteristics of the nozzles vary and conveying amounts vary, the characteristics are diffused to the entire image and are hardly recognized.
Components and refining methods of an ink set applied to this embodiment will now be described. Here, magenta, yellow, and black inks are inks without resin, and only a cyan ink is an ink with resin in which resin is added for increasing scratch resistance.
First, 10 parts of pigment (details given below), 30 parts of anionic polymer (details given below), and 60 parts of pure water are mixed.
The above-mentioned materials are placed in a batch type vertical sand mill (manufactured by Aimex Co., Ltd.), 150 parts of zirconia beads with a diameter of 0.3 mm are filled, and disperse processing is performed for 12 hours under water cooling. Then, the dispersion liquid is processed by a centrifugal separator, whereby removing coarse particles. Accordingly, a pigment dispersion element with a solid content of about 12.5% and an average particle diameter by weight of 120 nm is obtained as a finally refined object. Using the obtained yellow pigment dispersion liquid, ink is prepared as follows.
The following components are mixed, sufficiently stirred to dissolve and disperse the components, and filtered under a pressure using a micro filter (manufactured by Fujifilm Corporation) with a pore size of 1.0 μm, thereby preparing an ink.
First, using benzyl acrylate and methacrylic acid as materials, AB block resin with an acid number of 300 and a number-average molecular weight of 2500 is made by an ordinary method, is neutralized in an aqueous solution of potassium hydroxide, and is diluted by the ion-exchange water, thereby making an equalized aqueous resin solution by 50 wt %. Also, 100 g of the above-mentioned aqueous solution, 100 g of C.I. Pigment Red 122, and 300 g of ion-exchange water are mixed, and mechanically stirred for 0.5 hour. Then, using a micro fluidizer, the mixture is processed by causing the mixture to pass through an interaction chamber five times under a liquid pressure of about 70 MPa. Further, the obtained dispersion liquid is centrifuged (at 12000 rpm for 20 minutes), thereby removing non-dispersion substances including coarse particles, to obtain magenta dispersion liquid. The obtained magenta dispersion liquid has a pigment density of 10 wt % and a dispersant density of 5 wt %.
Ink is prepared by using the above-mentioned magenta dispersion liquid. The following components are added to the magenta dispersion liquid to achieve a predetermined density. The components are sufficiently mixed and stirred, filtered under a pressure using a micro filter (manufactured by Fujifilm Corporation) with a pore size of 2.5 μm, thereby preparing a pigment ink with a pigment density of 4 wt % and a dispersant density of 2 wt %.
First, 100 g of the polymer solution used for the yellow ink, 100 g of carbon black, and 300 g of ion-exchange water are mixed, and mechanically stirred for 0.5 hour. Then, using a micro fluidizer, the mixture is processed by causing the mixture to pass through an interaction chamber five times under a liquid pressure of about 70 MPa. Further, the obtained dispersion liquid is centrifuged (at 12000 rpm for 20 minutes), thereby removing non-dispersion substances including coarse particles, to obtain black dispersion liquid. The obtained black dispersion liquid has a pigment density of 10 wt % and a dispersant density of 6 wt %.
Ink is prepared by using the above-mentioned black dispersion liquid. The following components are added to the black dispersion liquid to achieve a predetermined density. The components are sufficiently mixed and stirred, filtered under a pressure using a micro filter (manufactured by Fujifilm Corporation) with a pore size of 2.5 μm, thereby preparing a pigment ink with a pigment density of 5 wt % and a dispersant density of 3 wt %.
First, using benzyl acrylate and methacrylic acid as materials, AB block polymer with an acid number of 250 and a number-average molecular weight of 3000 is made by an ordinary method, is neutralized in an aqueous solution of potassium hydroxide, and is diluted by the ion-exchange water, thereby making an equalized aqueous resin solution by 50 wt %. Also, 180 g of the above-mentioned aqueous solution, 100 g of C.I. Pigment Blue 15:3, and 220 g of ion-exchange water are mixed, and mechanically stirred for 0.5 hour. Then, using a micro fluidizer, the mixture is processed by causing the mixture to pass through an interaction chamber five times under a liquid pressure of about 70 MPa. Further, the obtained dispersion liquid is centrifuged (at 12000 rpm for 20 minutes), thereby removing non-dispersion substances including coarse particles, to obtain cyan dispersion liquid. The obtained cyan dispersion liquid has a pigment density of 10 wt % and a dispersant density of 10 wt %.
Also, an aqueous resin solution is obtained as follows. A resin, which is made of styrene, n-butyl acetate, and acrylic acid, is prepared by 15.0 wt %, potassium hydroxide is added by one equivalent amount to carboxylic acid constituting the acrylic acid, and water is added such that the total amount achieves 100.0 wt %. Then, the resultant is stirred at 80° C. to dissolve the resin. Then, the resultant are adjusted such that a solid content (resin) achieves 15.0 wt %, and hence, an aqueous resin solution is obtained.
The resin is configured as follows: styrene/n-butyl acetate/acrylic acid=0.160/0.710/0.130, acid number of 101, and weight-average molecular weight of 7000.
The following components including the obtained cyan dispersion liquid and the aqueous resin solution are sufficiently mixed and filtered, thereby preparing an ink.
The resin contained in the aqueous resin solution is compounded by dropping a mixture of styrene/ethyl acrylate/acrylic acid/initiator (azobisbutyronitrile) into toluene, and polymerizing at a reflux temperature.
In the specification, an ink containing resin which is added in a later process, in addition to resin contained in dispersion liquid is called “ink with resin”. Also, an ink when an ink composition contains resin only in dispersion liquid is called “ink without resin”.
With binarization processing 403, the CMYK data is converted into 1-bit binarized output image data 404 which determines a recording position of a dot recordable by the recording head 21. The binarization processing 403 may be typical multivalue error-diffusion processing. In this embodiment, when the binarization processing 403 is to be performed, a unit pixel having the resolution of 600 dpi for each of the vertical and horizontal sides is converted into a pixel having a resolution of 2400 dpi in a main-scanning direction and 1200 dpi in a sub-scanning direction. That is, a region of a unit pixel corresponds to a region of a recording-pixel group of 4×2 pixels (main-scanning×sub-scanning). On the basis of the binarized output image data 404, processing with a mask pattern (described later) 405 is performed, thereby creating output image data 406. In the specification, a recording pixel, in which recording or non-recording of a dot is determined, may be merely referred to as a pixel.
Referring to
With the studies of the inventors, it was found that, when a pigment ink with resin added is used, an ink is interrupted from permeating into a recording medium at a landing position after the pigment ink with resin added (hereinafter, referred to as ink with resin) lands on the position of the recording medium. This phenomenon is described with a model shown in
As described above, the water and solvent of the later-landing ink are interrupted from permeating into the recording medium by the resin component of the former-landing ink. Thus, the later-landing pigment ink moves to the region without a dot recorded, that is, to the recording medium, and forms a dot. At this time, since the region into which the water and solvent to permeate is a smaller region than a normal dot diameter, the pigment particles may be concentrated, and hence, a dot with a higher density than a normal density is formed in a smaller dot area than a normal dot area. If the dot with the higher density than the normal density is present in a recording surface, an image characteristic (in particular, graininess) of a recorded object may be degraded.
The interest of invention is directed to a phenomenon in which, when a dot of the ink without resin (first ink) overlaps with a dot of the ink with resin (second ink), a difference is present between a remaining state of a former-landing ink and that of a later-landing ink depending on which ink lands first. That is, density unevenness is reduced by controlling the landing order of the two inks.
Now, a difference between “remaining states” will be described.
Part (a) of
Next, part (b) of
Another approach for defining the ink without resin and the ink with resin may be an overlapping rate after a predetermined time elapses since two dots overlap with each other, instead of the likelihood of remaining. The overlapping rate is of a remaining area of the dot of the later-landing ink remaining on the former-landing ink to an area of the dot of the former-landing ink. That is, the easily-remaining ink (ink with resin) has a high overlapping rate. In contrast, the hardly-remaining ink (ink without resin) has a low overlapping rate.
For example, an optical microscope may be used to observe the positions of the overlapping dots of the two types of inks. Accordingly, the level of the ink-remaining likelihood of the later-landing ink can be determined. While
The level of the ink-remaining likelihood may be determined by a colorimetric value of a secondary color of two inks for comparison. For example, a secondary color image, in which a 100% solid image is recorded with the hardly-remaining ink and then the easily-remaining ink is recorded, is compared with a secondary color image recorded in a reversed recording order. In the image in which the easily-remaining ink is recorded first, a dot of the former-recorded ink is covered with a dot of the later-recorded ink. The color of the solid image is the sum of the two dots. In contrast, in the image in which the hardly-remaining ink is recorded first, the upper dot moves away and the color of the lower dot likely appears. Hence, the color of the solid image is closer to the color of the lower dot, as compared with the image in which the easily-remaining ink is recorded first. Thusly, the level of the ink-remaining likelihood can be determined by comparing with each other the colors of the solid images of the two inks with the different levels of the ink-remaining likelihood.
In this embodiment, while the level of the ink-remaining likelihood is determined on the basis of the overlapping state of the two dots by changing the landing order of the two dots, it is not limited thereto. The level of the ink-remaining likelihood can be determined on the basis of a shift when a common ink lands on the ink with resin and on the ink without resin.
In this embodiment, the cyan ink is the easily-remaining ink (ink with resin), and other inks are the hardly-remaining inks (inks without resin).
In light of this, the landing order when the dot discharge positions of the ink with resin and the ink without resin overlap with each other is controlled, so as to reduce density unevenness of dots of a secondary color containing the ink with resin. More specifically, regarding the ink with resin and the ink without resin overlapping with each other in the same pixel, the density unevenness is reduced by allowing the ink without resin to land first.
A record control procedure of this embodiment will be described below with reference to
As described above, the record control unit 305 converts the input data 401 input from the image input unit 302 into the multivalued CMYK data 402, and then the binarization processing 403 is performed, thereby generating the binarized output image data 404. In this embodiment, in parallel to this processing, a mask selection parameter calculation 902 is performed for the CMYK data 402, and hence a mask selection parameter (MP) 903, which is a one-dimensional parameter, is obtained. The mask selection parameter (MP) 903 determines a mask pattern of a nozzle array from which the ink with resin (cyan ink) is discharged, for every predetermined region.
Next, in calculation processing 1003, the sum of the M′ data, Y′ data, and K′ data of the inks without resin is used to calculate a difference between the sum and the C′ data of the ink with resin. Then, a constant B is added to the calculated result. With the calculation, when the ink application amount of the ink with resin (C) increases as compared with the ink application amount of the inks without resin (MYK) in a unit pixel, the mask pattern becomes no longer changed. The constant B is added in order to avoid an intermediate mask selection parameter (MP′) 1005 from becoming a negative number.
Lower bit rounding-off processing 1004 is applied to the calculation result data to obtain data of 5-bit (32 values), which is an intermediate mask selection parameter (MP′) 1005. With the calculation, the intermediate mask selection parameter (MP′) 1005 becomes a value corresponding to the relationship between the ink discharging amount of the ink with resin and the ink discharging amount of the ink without resin. For example, when the ink application amount of the ink with resin is small and the ink application amount of the ink without resin is large, the intermediate mask selection parameter (MP′) 1005 becomes a large value. In contrast, when the ink application amount of the ink with resin is large and the ink application amount of the ink without resin is small, the intermediate mask selection parameter (MP′) 1005 becomes a small value.
Further, N-value processing 1006 is applied to the intermediate mask selection parameter (MP′) 1005, so that the intermediate mask selection parameter (MP′) is converted into a N-value mask selection parameter (MP) 903. The N-value method may rely upon ordinary error diffusion or dither matrix. In this embodiment, error diffusion is used. Using the error diffusion, the mask pattern can be changed for a unit pixel which is adjacent to a unit pixel whose mask pattern is changed. Continuity of the mask patterns to be used is improved. Thus, the value N corresponds to the number of types of mask patterns to be changed. In this embodiment, The value N is 2 because two types of mask patterns are used. That is, the mask selection parameter (MP) 903 involves two types of “0” and “1”. The number of types of mask patterns to be selected may be increased by increasing the value N from 2. Hence, the number of mask patterns to be changed is not limited to the number provided in this embodiment.
As described above, the image processing is performed, in which the input data 401 is converted into the binarized output image data 404. Then, the mask selection parameter (MP) 903 is obtained for every unit pixel on the basis of information (gradation values of CYMK data) corresponding to the application amount of the cyan ink per unit pixel and the application amount of the magenta ink per unit pixel. The mask selection parameter (MP) 903 is used for selection of the mask pattern to be used for every unit pixel of the binarized output image data 404.
A mask pattern in
In this embodiment, when the ink with resin and the ink without resin overlap with each other in the same pixel, the recording order of the ink with resin and the ink without resin is controlled so that the ink without resin In particular, in step 901 in
Reference character 1302 MP represents the mask selection parameter (MP) 903 obtained by the mask selection parameter calculation. As described above, since the mask selection parameter (MP) 903 is generated per unit pixel, a value is defined for 8 recording pixels. In
Reference characters 1303A and 1303B illustrate parts of the normal mask and the later-recording mask. Here, a mask pattern of the region 1 in
As described above, by using the mask selection parameter (MP) 903 obtained from the CMYK data 402, the mask patterns can be selectively changed for each unit pixel so that the ink with resin is arranged at an upper position. Accordingly, the interruption of the later-recorded ink from permeating into the recording medium when the former-recorded ink is arranged on the ink with resin is reduced, and degradation of image quality due to density unevenness can be reduced. By allowing the ink without resin to land first on at least one of unit pixels, the landing order, which may cause unevenness, can be controlled for the unit pixel. In particular, ink without resin may land first in more than half of all unit pixels.
To check the effect of the processing in this embodiment, density unevenness of secondary color images of the cyan (ink with resin) and the magenta (ink without resin) was evaluated.
In this embodiment, a normal mask is used in example 3 in which the discharging amount of the cyan ink is larger than the discharging amount of the magenta ink. Hence, the unevenness (overflow) can be reduced. That is, when the amount of the magenta ink (ink without resin) is small like example 3, the unevenness (resin) is only slightly reduced by using the later-recording mask. Thus, priority is given to reduction in the unevenness (overflow) by using the later-recording mask. In data example 1 and data example 2 in which the discharging amount of the cyan ink is small, the unevenness (resin) can be reduced by using the later-recording mask. It is to be noted that only the normal mask is applied to a region where the cyan ink is not used, and normal recording is performed.
The mask selection parameter (MP) 903 can be obtained even by directly binarizing the calculated value of the calculation processing 1003. In this embodiment, the calculated value of the calculation processing 1003 is converted into the intermediate mask selection parameter (MP′) 1005, and then is binarized. If the calculated value of the calculation processing 1003 is directly binarized, variation in mask selection parameters (MP) 903 becomes noticeable between adjacent unit pixels because of the characteristic of error diffusion. Hence, a lower bit of the calculated value is rounded off so as to decrease a variation of the mask selection parameter (MP) 903. Accordingly, the mask change can be continuously carried out for each unit pixel, and image degradation generated because the mask patterns to be used differ from each other between the adjacent pixels can be prevented.
In this embodiment, while the intermediate mask selection parameter (MP′) 1005 is obtained through the calculation, similar processing may be carried out by referring to a lookup table. In short, a combination of CMYK data 402 and a mask pattern may be determined in advance.
With this embodiment, when an image is recorded with the ink with resin and the ink without resin, the density unevenness can be reduced in the region where the ink with resin and the ink without resin overlap with each other, by controlling the application order of the inks. This is because the interruption of permeation of the later-landing ink into the recording medium, as a result of the dot of the ink with resin being present on the recording medium, is reduced. Further, since the ink with resin is located at an upper position of a recording surface, scratch resistance can be increased.
Further, in the above description, the ink (magenta) can land first by increasing the recording permissibility of the mask pattern applied to the ink with resin (cyan) for the later half of the plurality of scanning operations, as compared with the recording permissibility of the mask pattern for the former half. However, the mask pattern applied to the ink with resin (cyan) is not limited to the above-mentioned mask pattern. For example, referring to
In this embodiment, the mask pattern is selectively changed so that the later-recording mask is used only at a position where the unevenness (resin) has to be reduced. With this method, the mask pattern is effectively changed, and the unevenness (resin) and unevenness (overflow) can be reduced. Also, at a position where the mask pattern does not have to be changed, the normal mask can be used to form an image with a uniform density, and the nozzles to be used can be equalized. Typically, the recording head may be deteriorated when discharging with a nozzle is repeated a predetermined number of times or more. Thus, with the above control, the life of the recording head can be increased.
Various embodiments may be employed within the technical idea of the invention in which the landing order of the ink with resin and the ink without resin is controlled such that the ink with resin can land on the ink without resin as described above.
A second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that a mask pattern used for both the ink with resin and the ink without resin is selected, while the mask pattern only for the ink with resin is selected in the first embodiment.
In particular, in a unit pixel where the normal mask is used for the ink with resin, the normal mask is also used for the ink without resin. In contrast, in a unit pixel where the later-forming mask is used for the ink with resin, the former-recording mask is used for the ink without resin. That is, by using the former-recording mask for the ink without resin when the later-recording mask is used for the ink with resin, the ink with resin can be recorded in a recording scanning operation after a normal recording scanning operation, and the ink without resin can be recorded in the former half of the recording scanning operations. As described above, by changing the mask pattern for not only the ink with resin, but also the ink without resin, the ink with resin can land on the ink without resin with a higher possibility than that of the first embodiment. The density unevenness can be further reliably reduced.
With this embodiment, the mask patterns for both the ink with resin and the ink without resin are selected and the application order is controlled for a region where both the ink with resin and the ink without resin are discharged. Accordingly, the density unevenness can be further efficiently reduced. Since the former-recording mask is used for the ink without resin and the later-recording mask is used for the ink with resin, the ink with resin can land on the ink without resin with a high possibility.
It is to be noted that the combination of the ink with resin and the ink without resin is not limited to the cyan ink and another color ink (MYK) of the first embodiment. For example, description will be based on pigment inks sorted into an ink with resin and an ink without resin.
In the above-described embodiments, the later-recording mask and the former-recording mask are used so that the dot of the ink with resin lands on the dot of the ink without resin when dots of the ink without resin and the ink with resin overlap with each other. The above control may be performed without a mask pattern.
For example, a position of a pixel in which the ink without resin and the ink with resin overlap with each other and the landing order are detected by using output image data 411 developed by the normal mask in
In the later-recording mask shown in
In addition, the rates may be changed depending on the type of recording mode (draft mode or high-resolution mode) or the type of recording medium (type of ink receiving layer such as a highly absorptive receiving layer, use type of such as glossy paper or matt paper). Also, a predetermined region the mask pattern is changed for may be a region corresponding to a dot formed with ink on a recording medium, and other various types of regions.
Also, in the above-described embodiments, the binarized output image data is divided to obtain recording data for every recording scanning operation, while the data may be divided for every recording scanning by using a mask pattern for the multivalued CMYK data.
In this embodiment, materials are exemplified to increase fastness (in particular, scratch resistance). However, the ink with resin applicable to the invention is not limited to the ink aimed at the fastness. Without limiting to the fastness, ink with resin may aim at increase in any performance of a pigment-ink image, for example, image quality like gloss uniformity, metamelism, or bronzing.
Also, in the above-described embodiments, one color of the pigment ink is used as a color ink with resin. a plurality of inks with different densities, or a plurality of inks with different phases may be used. Also, other than the pigment ink, resin which is a material to increase the image performance (in the above-described embodiment, fastness) may be added to colorless and clear processing liquid or the like. By applying this configuration to the above-described embodiments, an advantage of reducing the density unevenness can be provided. Also, the ink applicable to the invention is featured that the ink-remaining likelihood of the later-landing ink is different. The ink composition is not limited to the above-described ink composition.
The present invention can be applied to recording apparatuses which use a recording medium, such as paper, cloth, unwoven cloth, or OHP film. In particular, an apparatus to be applied may be a business machine, such as a printer, a copier, or a facsimile, or a mass production machine. In the above-described embodiments, the record control unit 305 for the featured processing of the invention is provided in the inkjet recording apparatus, however, the record control unit 305 does not have to be provided in the inkjet recording apparatus. For example, a printer driver of the host computer (image input unit 302) connected to the inkjet recording apparatus may have the function of the record control unit 305. In this case, the printer driver generates the binarized output image data 404 and the mask selection parameter (MP) 903 on the basis of the multivalued input data 401 received from an application. The generated data is supplied to the recording apparatus. As described above, an inkjet recording system including the host computer and the inkjet recording apparatus may be within the scope of the invention. In this case, the host computer functions as a data supply device that supplies data to the inkjet recording apparatus, and may function as a control device that controls the inkjet recording apparatus.
Also, a data generating device including the record control unit 305 that performs the featured data processing of the invention may be within the scope of the invention. When the record control unit 305 is provided in the inkjet recording apparatus, the inkjet recording apparatus functions as the data generating device. When the record control unit 305 is provided at the host computer, the host computer functions as the data generating device of the invention. Further, a computer program configured to cause a computer to execute the featured data processing and a recording medium storing the program in a manner readable by the computer are within the scope of the invention.
While the present invention has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments. The scope of the following claims is to be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all modifications and equivalent structures and functions.
This application claims the benefit of Japanese Patent Application No. 2008-160772 filed Jun. 19, 2008, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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2008-160772 | Jun 2008 | JP | national |
This application is a Continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/484,946 filed Jun. 15, 2009, which claims priority to Japanese Patent Application No. 2008-160772 filed Jun. 19, 2008, both of which are hereby incorporated by reference herein in their entireties.
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 12484946 | Jun 2009 | US |
Child | 13493764 | US |